Jeff Banks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeff Banks
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Banks in 2013
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| Born | 17 March 1943 Ebbw Vale, Wales
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Jeff Banks |
Jeff Banks CBE (born Jeffrey Tatham-Banks, 17 March 1943) is a famous Welsh fashion designer. He creates clothes for men and women, and even jewellery and home items. He was born in Ebbw Vale, Wales, in 1943. Jeff Banks helped start the popular fashion store called Warehouse in the 1970s. He also created and hosted a TV show called The Clothes Show on BBC One from 1986 to 2000.
About Jeff Banks
Jeff Banks was born in Ebbw Vale, a town in South Wales. When he was eight years old, his father left, and his mother decided to move to London.
He was offered a special scholarship to a private school called St Dunstan's College. However, his mother could not afford the school uniform. So, he went to Brockley County Grammar School instead. To buy his uniform, he started his own small business. He bought paraffin (a type of fuel) at a low price. Then, he pushed it up a hill in an old pram and sold it for a bit more money. By the time he was 13, he had someone working for him. At 15, he sold his business.
A teacher encouraged him to study art and become a painter. But during his first year at London's Camberwell School of Art, he realized painting wasn't his strongest skill. He then switched to studying interior design and textiles at Saint Martin's School of Art. Later, he studied fashion in New York at Parsons The New School for Design.
Jeff Banks has received special honorary degrees from several universities. These include the University of Lancaster and University of Westminster. He is also a Doctor of Arts. In 1994, he won the Minerva Medal from the Chartered Society of Designers. He was also the President of this Society from 2001 to 2003. In 2009, he was given a special award called Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen.
Jeff Banks's Career
In 1964, Jeff Banks used money he saved from his paraffin business. His father also helped by mortgaging his home. With this money, Banks opened a small fashion shop called Clobber in London. The shop sold his own designs and clothes from other designers. It was very successful. In 1969, he launched his own fashion brand.
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In 1975, he opened the first official Jeff Banks shop in London. He also opened sections in 22 department stores, like Harrods and Harvey Nichols. In the late 1970s, he helped start the fashion chain Warehouse. He also continued to work as a designer for other companies. He was named "British Designer of the Year" in 1979 and 1981. In 1980, he was named "British Coat Designer of the Year." In the 1980s, he designed many stage outfits for musician Howard Jones.
Jeff Banks was very well-known in fashion. This led him to host over 320 episodes of The Clothes Show. This was the BBC's popular TV show about fashion. He hosted it with Selina Scott and Caryn Franklin. The show was very popular, often having over 10 million viewers. Because of its success, the first "Clothes Show Live" event was held in Birmingham in 1989. A Clothes Show magazine was also launched.
Many organizations asked Jeff Banks to design their work uniforms. So, in 1996, he started his own company called Incorporatewear. It is now one of the biggest companies in the United Kingdom that makes corporate clothing. With his partners, Rob Pollock and Brian Lamb, the company creates many different types of uniforms for various businesses.
In 2000, he made a deal to design clothes for the UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's. Having Jeff Banks's clothing sections inside Sainsbury's stores was very successful. He later stopped working with Sainsbury's.
Banks has continued to design clothes for many groups. He designed uniforms for Girlguiding UK, the England football team, and for London's 2012 Olympics bid. Famous athletes like Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Steve Redgrave, and Denise Lewis modeled these designs. Banks is still very involved in creating corporate clothing and uniforms. In 2010, he even offered to design the suits for the Portsmouth F.C. football team for their FA Cup final.
Jeff Banks says his own fashion influences are designers like Hardy Amies, Giorgio Armani, and Alice Temperley.
Personal Life
Jeff Banks has been married twice. His first wife was the 1960s pop star Sandie Shaw. They were married from 1968 to 1978 and have one daughter. His second wife is Sue Mann, who is a model and a film makeup artist.
Banks is a lifelong member of the Catford Cycling Club. He also sponsors their racing team, CatfordCC Equipe/Banks. This is a team for young amateur cyclists. In March 2024, Banks accepted an honorary position as Lord Lieutenant of the Ben Gibbons charitable Society of Farnham.
